October 2013 JEMCO News

A Publication For Jackson EMC Members

October 2013

A Little

Can Help a Lot Find out what you and the Jackson EMC Foundation are doing to help people in our communities

Perspective Cooperative Month Hits Home This Year

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President/CEO Randall Pugh

Jemco news Vol. 62, No. 10, October 2013 (ISSN 1061-5601), is published monthly by the Member Services Dept. of Jackson Electric Membership Corp., 461 Swanson Drive, Lawrenceville, GA 30043.

Subscription $3.50 per year as part of yearly membership.

Periodicals Postage Paid at Lawrenceville, GA and additional mailing offices.

K.D. Bryant Graham, Editor.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Jemco News, 461 Swanson Drive, Lawrenceville, GA 30043

ooperatives around the U.S. are celebrating National Cooperative Month. This is a time to highlight the cooperative business model, which includes member ownership. This October, we’re especially excited because we’re celebrating our 75th anniversary.

Jackson EMC joined the cooperative ranks on June 27, 1938, when we were chartered to provide reliable and affordable electricity to farms and rural communities. Today, we serve more than 210,000 meters throughout 10 northeast Georgia counties.

Although we’re just 75 years young, we can trace our cooperative principles back to the first modern cooperative founded in 1844 in Rochdale, England.

The Rochdale Pioneers pooled their resources to open their own store selling items that they couldn’t afford individually. Their first store goods included butter, flour, sugar, oatmeal and candles. Working off the Rochdale Principles, their product selection grew and allowed them to offer even more high-quality products.

The Rochdale principles laid the groundwork for the seven cooperative principles: Voluntary and Open Membership; Democratic Member Control; Members’ Economic Participation; Autonomy and Independence; Education, Training and Information; Cooperation Among Cooperatives and Concern for Community.

Our employees are often asked what’s the difference between Jackson EMC and an investor-owned utility.

Well, on the surface we’re both obligated to provide reliable power to those we serve, and where we differ is in those guiding principles. We’re a not-for-profit organization, which means we answer to you, our

members, not shareholders. Our decisions are made with a “what’s best for the membership” approach – that’s the cooperative way of doing business.

I believe customer satisfaction is also a defining difference. We’ve made technology advancements, upgraded facilities and purchased equipment to better serve you. One of our greatest community accomplishments is the formation of the Jackson EMC Foundation.

Through the Operation Round Up program, participating members allow their bills to round up to the nearest dollar, and the change from that is used to award grants to individuals and organizations. You can read excerpts from the Foundation Annual Report on pages 4 and 5 of this issue. In addition, we’ve continued increasing our visibility in the communities we serve. Our presence is strong in local chambers of commerce, FFA and 4-H programs, and various efforts in which we put the seventh of the Seven Cooperative Principles to work: Concern for Community.

As we continue our yearlong celebration of 75 years of People. Power. Progress., you can keep up with our events and activities on our 75th anniversary website at www.jacksonemc.com/75.

For those of you who were unable to get your copy of the commemorative coffee table book People. Power.

Progress. – The History of Jackson EMC, you can request your copy by visiting your local district office. (Available while supplies last.)

Jackson EMC is your cooperative, so to you, I say, Happy Cooperative Month, and thank you for allowing us to humbly serve as your energy provider these past 75 years.

onlinef@cts Never Forget to Change Your Filter Again Did you know you could have your HVAC unit’s filter replacements delivered to your home?

Sign up for the FilterChange program, and you’ll receive email reminders, recommendations for the best filters to use and more. When dirty filters go unchanged, they can make your HVAC unit work harder and increase operating costs. If your unit is working harder, this increases the energy dollars you’re spending and shortens the life of your unit.

Filthy filters can also affect your family’s health. If you have pets, suffer from allergies, asthma or other lung disorders, you may need to change your filter once a month to keep dust particles to a minimum.

Designed to trap dust particles before they get into your heating and cooling system’s motor, clogged filters are unable to stop dust particles from passing through your unit and into the air in your home.

Let FilterChange do the work for you. You simply select your filter size and brand, and within a few days, your filters will arrive. Shipping and returns are free. FilterChange is so confident that you’ll be satisfied with their service, they’ll accept returns up to one year after your purchase.

Sign up today at www.jacksonemc.com/filter.

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www.jacksonemc.com

FeatureMini

Five Reasons to Call EMC Security Today If you’re among the 80 percent of Americans who don’t have home security systems, today’s the day to take a step toward additional security for your loved ones and valuables.

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ith nearly 50 percent of all home burglaries occurring during the day, you can’t afford not to have a home security system that you can trust. Whether your reasoning is budget, no phone line or dependence on the family pet, we’ve got a few reasons for you to consider making the change.

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MC Security offers wireless monitoring. So you’ve cut the cord E and gotten rid of your phone line? No worries. EMC Security offers wireless security system packages to protect your home with or without a phone line. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about would-be burglars cutting the phone lines to gain access to your home. eep your eyes on things even when you’re away. Remote K monitoring allows you to view surveillance cameras outside and within your home. This technology means you’ll see the kids coming in from school or worst-case scenario intruders may be captured on video.

Protect your loved ones, including your four-legged family members. Even if Fido’s bark is a viable warning to stay away, you’ll want to ensure that your family pet is safe from danger as well. If your home catches fire during the day, often the only one at home is the family pet. EMC Security offers fire protection monitoring to give you added peace of mind.

www.jacksonemc.com

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edundant monitoring means your home is being monitored by R two locations. EMC Security provides local monitoring from their state-of-the-art facility in Gwinnett County, and there’s a backup monitoring location as well. We’ve seen inclement weather such as ice storms shut down our highways, knock power out and more.

Should EMC Security’s local monitoring become compromised in any way, their monitoring station in Florida will continue the 24/7 coverage. our homeowner’s insurance may offer additional savings.

Y Some insurance companies offer up to 20 percent in discounts for homes that are professionally monitored.

With monitoring fees starting as low as $16.95 per month, EMC Security offers a variety of services to build the perfect safety and security package for you.

If you have loved ones enjoying their twilight years, EMC Security also offers several affordable Medical Alert Systems. Aging and disabled loved ones will gain more independence with the voice-to-voice pendant that’s worn around the neck. The pendant, which works up to 500 feet away from the base, is the smallest medical alert device on the market that allows you to communicate through the pendant to their life safety center. Their newest MyForce™ product also allows you to have the same protection from your smartphone that will work anywhere you have cell service. Visit www.emcsecurity.com or call 770-963-0305 or 706-543-4009 to sign up today.

Jemco news | October 2013 3

The 2013 Jackson EMC Foundation Annual Report North Gwinnett Co-Operative, Inc. $15,000 grant

When a Little Can Do a Lot

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ow many times have you thought, “I’d like to help, but I’m only one person – how much difference can I make?” We are, after all, only individuals; most of us are just average middle class working folks. How can just one ordinary person affect the lives of others?

One way is through the Jackson EMC Foundation.

Nearly 89 percent of all Jackson EMC accounts participate in Operation Round Up, voluntarily having their monthly electric bill rounded up to the next dollar amount. The spare change from those bills, an average of about $6 per year per account, is deposited in the Jackson EMC Foundation, where it is used to help others.

Those Jackson EMC members who participate have found a way to make a little do a lot. The spare change they contribute each month joins forces with the contributions of others to form what has become a million dollar foundation. When Jackson EMC’s Operation Round Up turns 8 years old this month, participating members will have put $8 million back into their communities, touching the lives of countless individuals, many of whom are their neighbors.

Through our members’ generosity, the Jackson EMC Foundation – their foundation – has supported local organizations that provide everything from emergency financial assistance to adaptive technology for the visually impaired, from summer camp opportunities to employment for the developmentally challenged, from youth mentoring to drug, alcohol, spouse and child abuse prevention.

It’s also helped individuals who have encountered life-changing medical issues, or been isolated by mobility limitations, or live on a fixed income and need a helping hand with unexpected repairs to roofs, HVAC systems or handicap accessible modifications.

Those members who make up the Jackson EMC Foundation have found a way to make a difference.

They each are only one person, but together they are an amazing force for good in our communities.

The following examples of grants awarded by the Jackson EMC Foundation in the last year clearly demonstrate how a little can do a lot.

Randall Pugh President/CEO

4 Jemco news | October 2013

Johnny Fowler Board Chairman Jackson EMC Foundation

Prescription Medicine Assistance Program

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nyone who has filled a prescription knows that medicine is expensive. In 2012, the increase in the cost of prescription drugs was double the rate of inflation according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Somewhere buried in that statistic are individuals and families who face tough choices every month – buy food, pay their rent or mortgage, put gas in the car or take their medicine. It’s a difficult decision when either not taking medication or taking less of it could produce life-threatening results. Some of the people facing those choices have found help at the North Gwinnett Co-Operative (Co-Op) in Buford.

Co-Op executive director Maureen Kornowa didn’t realize that a donation for her daughter’s outreach club would lead to a 10-year labor of love with a charitable agency that started life in the basement of a local church as a food ministry.

“I had no understanding of the need in Gwinnett County. Like most people, I thought that homelessness and poverty were urban problems, and had no idea of the problems in the suburbs. When I saw what was going on, I couldn’t not help,” she remembers.

Beginning as a volunteer at the Co-Op, Kornowa first served as a part-time executive director, and in May 2012 became the first to hold that position full-time. She stresses that in today’s economy, with many families living at or below the poverty level, all it takes is one life crisis – a job loss, a divorce, a health problem – to place people in the position of having to make those difficult decisions.

Co-op client Virginia is 83 years old. Retired from AT&T, she lives on a fixed income.

Her 63-year-old son, Steve, had a good construction job in better days, but was partially paralyzed in an automobile accident. Now Virginia cares for her son, renting a place to live and babysitting to pay the utilities. They are both diabetic.

She tears up when talking about the cost of their medication and choices it forced on her. Like the more than 300 people who are estimated to have been helped by the North Gwinnett Co-Operative’s Prescription Medicine Assistance Program, Virginia and her son receive up to $150 in non-narcotic prescription medicine assistance – monthly for senior citizens and every 60 days for those who are younger. “Everybody here is super nice. Maureen tries to work with everyone, but she’s strict. We follow the rules,” Virginia explains.

www.jacksonemc.com

Feature Georgia Mountain Food Bank $10,000 grant Summer Lunch Bag Program

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t has all the hallmarks of a military campaign – strategy, valor, leadership and resourcefulness. For 10 weeks each summer, teams of volunteers gather at the Georgia Mountain Food Bank (GMFB) in Gainesville to mount a special fight with an unseen enemy – hunger.

“In Gainesville City, Hall County and Lumpkin County Schools, the number of children qualified to receive free or reduced meals has hovered at about 60 percent for the last four years. During the summer months these children are at high risk of going hungry without the meals provided at school. These families are already struggling and the challenge to provide enough food during summer months certainly strains them even more,” explains GMFB executive director Kay Blackstock.

While working for the Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia, Kay watched the beginnings of what was then called the Community Food Pantry. “I visited the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB), which was quite an inspiration.

Since opening at the end of 2008, the number of GMFB supporters has multiplied many times. I have to tell you it’s such an honor to be the facilitator of the money that’s donated for us to do this work.”

Since 2009, the GMFB has organized a privately funded Summer Lunch Bag Program. This summer the program provided 16,034 breakfast and lunch meals, along with an equal number of snacks, to four Hall County and four Lumpkin County sites.

The plan of attack involved a food service permit and preapproved menus that followed USDA guidelines on what and how much could be served and at what temperature. The troops were composed of 19 groups of 25 volunteers each, organized into morning and afternoon shifts, who donated more than 3,000 hours to the

program. At the front, Kay led the way.

Behind her were eight corporate donors and the Jackson EMC Foundation.

Every weekday at 7 a.m., first-tier morning volunteers arrived to breakdown bulk food supplies into individual servings – making sandwiches, bagging carrot sticks, etc.

When the second-tier morning volunteers arrived, they staged the day’s supplies and in assembly line fashion packed out boxes and coolers. An individual worked as a “counter” to ensure that the amount needed by each site was packed.

Each afternoon another shift would take over to glean supplies for the following day, wash and sanitize that day’s coolers, pull juice and milk and place them, along with the coolers and ice packs, in the freezer for the next morning. The ice packs, along with the frozen juice and milk, would ensure that cold food would arrive at the correct serving temperature. The next morning, it all began again.

Julie $3,882 grant Wheelchair lift

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ulie is laughing, recalling the time when she couldn’t get out of the shower. “When I was sitting there, it wasn’t funny; but I told myself that in the future when I talked about it I would laugh,” she says, doing just that.

It’s unusual to find someone laughing about Multiple Sclerosis, but she is and makes it feel like the most natural thing in the world. “You have to keep your sense of humor. After I was diagnosed, my mother asked me when I was going to ask, ‘Why me?’ My answer to her was ‘Why not me?’ You don’t get to choose whether you’re going to have something like this,” Julie recalls.

A native of Miami, Julie moved to Georgia with her family at age 17. Though she moved away when she married, she

soon found herself back in the state, working as an office manager for an appraisal company, Georgia State University and SmithKline Beecham in Atlanta. “I was going along, living my life, moving up,” she recalls.

Then she began to notice small things – a pen slipping out of her hand, her ankles bumping when she walked. While being treated for a bout of optic neuritis, her doctor mentioned the words Multiple Sclerosis. She was officially diagnosed in 1991. Since then, her sister has been diagnosed with MS as well.

“I slowly went from limping to falling and having to use a cane. I got a wheelchair, but I put it away and kept walking for as long as I could,” she explains.

Falls resulted in rotator cuff injuries and surgery, making it painful to keep using her walker. Finally, she gave in to the wheelchair. While her independence had gone away as well, her sense of humor and positive outlook remained.

“One of the hardest things I’ve had to learn is to ask for help. It’s difficult when you’ve been able to go when you needed to, without having to ask someone to take you and have your life revolve around their schedule,” she says. She purchased a preowned van. Then it took her a year to put together the financing for hand controls.

That achieved, she applied to the Jackson EMC Foundation for a wheelchair lift that would allow her to guide her chair up onto a platform, step off and have the lift load the folded chair into the back of her van. She still has to carefully walk down the side of the van to the driver’s door.

“I actually have my freedom back – I’m no longer a prisoner in my house. I can take myself to doctor’s appointments, go to the mall, travel to visit friends and family, and meet my mother for a movie,” she exclaims.

Her next goal is to return to online studies she was pursuing before the surgeries interfered, perhaps to get a degree in criminal justice. But the main thing will just be to achieve the goal – she’s already mastered one.

Excerpts from the Annual Report are featured here. The full report is available online at www.jacksonemc.com/foundation. www.jacksonemc.com

Jemco news | October 2013 5

operationroundup Jackson EMC Foundation Awards More Than $107,000 in Grants in July and Nearly $88,000 in August The Jackson EMC Foundation Board of Directors awarded a total of $107,864 in grants during their July meeting, including $97,700 to organizations and $10,164 to individuals.

Organizational Grant Recipients: $15,000 to the Hi-Hope Service Center in Lawrenceville to help fund part-time nursing services for 24 developmentally disabled residents in Gwinnett County, providing services such as daily medication, insulin, blood checks and specialized medical treatment to an increasing number of residents who require onsite nursing care. $15,000 to Our Neighbor, a Gainesville grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting young adults with special challenges, to provide two developmentally disabled men with a year of rent at the organization’s fifth house, groceries and personal care items, as well as extra caregiving not currently covered. $12,500 to the Gainesville Jaycees Vocational Rehabilitation Center, which provides vocational services to individuals with disabilities or others with similar vocational needs, to fund Follow Along Services, individualized support provided by team members, co-workers, family members and other supporters that enable individuals to work successfully, maintaining their employment and independence.

$11,500 to I AM, Inc., in Buford to purchase supplies for the Gaining Insight & Real Life Skills (GIRLS) leadership development program for girls age 10-18, aimed at reducing the instance of high-risk behaviors, increasing self-esteem and focusing on life skills that promote success, such as self-assessment, managing money, etiquette, goal-setting, public speaking and choosing a career. $10,000 to the Vision and Hearing Care Program, a service of the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, to help provide surgical procedures to restore sight, eye exams, and prescription eyewear for lowincome residents in the 10 counties Jackson EMC serves, using Lighthouse medical equipment, volunteer doctors, staff and volunteers. $10,000 to the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center, a multi-use science, history, culture, heritage and environmental facility located on a 700-acre campus in Buford, to allow students from low-income families to attend interpretative, hands-on field studies and educational programs. $7,000 to the Rainbow Children’s Home, a Dahlonega shelter for abused and neglected children, to help fund “Lydia’s Place,” a group

home that provides supervision and support and that serves as a stepping stone to independent living for teens that have aged out of the foster care system. $5,000 to the Gainesville/Hall County Fellowship of Christian Athletes to present the One Way 2 Play – Drug Free Program, which confronts the problem of drug use among students by instilling values, encouraging goal setting and establishing accountability through positive peer pressure in middle and high schools in Banks, Hall and Jackson counties. $4,200 to the Barrow County Special Olympics to purchase equipment and supplies for nearly 300 special needs athletes and athletes-in-training from 16 county schools so they can compete in basketball, bocce, soccer, softball, swimming, and track and field events. $2,500 to iServe Ministries, a Jefferson grassroots organization that helps churches recognize community needs and get those needs met, for backpacks and food for its “Bags of Love” program that sends students from disadvantaged families home each weekend with enough food for 4-6 family meals and snacks.

$2,500 to Safe Kids Athens, a coalition that works to prevent accidental injury among children under the age of 15, to help fund a Bike Rodeo that teaches bike safety and skills, check bicycles and helmets for proper adjustment, and replace helmets that do not meet federal regulations. $2,500 to Disabled American Veterans – Chapter 92 for its Veterans Relief Fund that provides assistance for emergency needs such as rent, medical bills, groceries or a bus ticket home to veterans and their families.

Individual Grant Recipients: $3,500 to help a disabled woman obtain dental work and dentures. $3,454 to purchase adaptive technology for a visually disabled man to return to school. $2,970 to purchase a new HVAC unit for a disabled woman. $240 to purchase new wheelchair batteries for a disabled woman.

The Jackson EMC Foundation Board of Directors awarded a total of $87,998 in grants during their August meeting, including $76,800 to organizations and $11,198 to individuals.

Organizational Grant Recipients: $15,000 to the Salvation Army – Athens for emergency shelter operations and to provide food to shelter residents and those in the community who are hungry and seek a meal at the nightly free dinner; the shelter typically serves 50 residents a day and 85 people from the community at night. $15,000 to the Salvation Army – Gainesville to assist with the costs of providing Emergency Shelter to prevent homelessness and community meals for families and individuals who are struggling; the agency provided 9,027 nights of shelter and 7,750 meals last year. $15,000 to the Salvation Army – Lawrenceville for the Family Emergency Services program, which prevents homelessness and stabilizes

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families by providing rent or mortgage financial assistance directly to the landlord or property holder; the agency provided 200 families with rent assistance in 2012. $10,000 to the YMCA–Athens to provide 28 underprivileged children access to the After School Program, providing opportunities for them to participate in activities such as study hall, football, soccer, basketball, Tae Kwon Do, cheerleading, swimming, modern dance, and arts and crafts. $7,500 to the Madison County Senior Center to help fund the Home Delivered Meals program, which allows frail and older citizens to maintain independence and dignity, while receiving nutritious meals, nutrition screening, education and counseling services, and opportunities for social contact. The center

currently serves 48 home delivered meals daily, five days a week, and has a waiting list of 10 people. $6,800 to the Hall County Library System to provide bilingual Awe Early Literacy stations, computers which have software and applications that promote six primary literacy skills, for the Blackshear Place and Murrayville Branches. $5,000 to the Clarke County Mentor Program, a broad-based, grassroots effort to provide individual support for public school students in 1st through 12th grades, promoting academic and personal success; to recruit, train and support new mentors. $2,500 to Nothing but the Truth, a faith-based organization dedicated to meeting needs in the community, to purchase food for the Weekend

Food Bag Ministry that provides bags of food for the weekend to children in Gwinnett County Schools who have been identified by counselors as food insecure.

Individual Grant Recipients: $3,500 to help purchase a new heat pump for a disabled woman. $3,489 to help a disabled woman obtain dental work necessitated by an automobile accident. $3,300 to purchase a new HVAC unit for a disabled man. $909 to purchase a bath lift for a disabled woman.

www.jacksonemc.com

needtoknow

Statement of Ownership Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation (Required by 39 W.S.C. 3685)

Jemco News

Editor – K.D. Bryant Graham, P.O. Box 38, Jefferson, Ga. 30549 Owner – Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, 461 Swanson Dr., Lawrenceville, Ga. 30043 Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning or holding one percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities; Rural Utilities Services, 1400 Independence Ave., Washington, D.C. 20250-1500, Cooperative Finance Corporation, 2201 Cooperative Way, Herndon, Va. 20171-3025

Publication NO. 1061-5601 Published monthly by the Member Services Department of Jackson Electric Membership Corp., 461 Swanson Dr., Lawrenceville, Ga. 30043. Subscription $3.50 per year as part of yearly membership. Periodicals Postage Paid at Lawrenceville, Ga. and additional mailing offices.

Publication Name: Jemco News

15a. b.

1. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j.

Avg. No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Mos.

Total No. Copies Printed (Net Press Run) Paid and/or Requested Circulation Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Total Paid Circulation Free distribution by mail (samples, complimentary and other free) Free distribution outside the mail (carriers or other means) Total Free Distribution (Sum of d and e) Total Distribution (Sum of c and f) Copies not distributed Total (Sum of g and h) Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15g times 100)

Single Issue Nearest to Filing Date

166,082

166,468

165,582 165,582 400 100 500 166,082 0 166,082 99.7

165,968 165,968 400 100 500 166,468 0 166,468 99.7

I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete.

K.D. Bryant Graham, Editor

Winter Rates in Effect As fall turns to winter, temperatures decrease, along with our electricity demand. During winter months, decreased demand allows us to pass savings along to you through lower rates. Winter rates begin this month, and last through April. To learn more about the residential electric rate, visit our website at www.jacksonemc.com/rates and select Schedule A-06 Residential Rate.

Regular Residential Electric Rate* Winter Rates Service Charge

$11/month

First 650 kWh

7.90¢ per kWh

Next 350 kWh

7.25¢ per kWh

Over 1,000 kWh

5.99¢ per kWh

*The Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment and other applicable taxes are also a part of your total electric bill.

www.jacksonemc.com

Jemco news | October 2013 7

Jemconews

A Publication for Jackson EMC Members

Periodicals

Our Offices

Postage Paid

Gainesville P.O. Box 5909 Gainesville, GA 30504 (770) 536-2415

Jefferson P.O. Box 38 Jefferson, GA 30549 (706) 367-5281

Bill Sanders District Manager

Scott Martin District Manager

Gwinnett 461 Swanson Dr. Lawrenceville, GA 30043 (770) 963-6166

Neese P.O. Box 85 Hull, GA 30646 (706) 548-5362

Randy Dellinger District Manager

Jean Mullis District Manager

EMC Security 55 Satellite Blvd., NW Suwanee, GA 30024 (770) 963-0305 or (706) 543-4009

www.twitter.com/jacksonemc

what’s cookin’?

CooperativeCooking

E

ach month Jemco News features recipes which

represent the people and products of Jackson EMC. If you have a favorite recipe and would like to share it with other readers in the Jackson EMC area, send a copy, complete with name, address and daytime phone number to: Cooperative Cooking Jackson EMC P.O. Box 38 Jefferson, GA 30549

www.facebook.com/jacksonemc

www.jacksonemc.com

Due to limited space, not all recipes received will be featured. Recipes printed in Jemco News are not independently tested; therefore, we must depend on the accuracy of those members who send recipes to us.

Tortellini Tuscan Stew Ingredients: 1 (2-lb) butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into 1-inch chunks 1 large zucchini, cut in 1-inch chunks 1 large yellow summer squash, cut in 1-inch chunks 1 large onion, diced

1 large red bell pepper, cut in 1⁄2-inch dice

1½ tsp chopped garlic

4-oz thin green beans, trimmed and cut in 2-inch lengths

1 package (9-oz) fresh cheese tortellini

1 can (28-oz) crushed tomatoes 1 can (141⁄2-oz) chicken or vegetable broth 2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

¾ tsp salt

1 bag (5-oz) baby spinach 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese 1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions: Combine all ingredients, except tortellini, spinach and Parmesan cheese in a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 3 hours or low for 6 hours. Uncover; turn slow cooker to high and stir in tortellini. Cover; continue to cook 15 minutes or until pasta is almost tender.

Uncover; gently stir in spinach and cheese. Cover; cook 5 minutes until spinach is cooked down and tortellini is tender.